Super Spreaders Caused Most Cases Of Ebola

Reports claim that majority of the largest cases of the Ebola virus in the world were caused by the spreading of the disease through a handful of carriers called super-spreaders. Analysis conducted for the spreading of the virus showed that 61 percent of the recorded cases of Ebola virus are caused by 3 percent of the infected people.

BBC reports that a published research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that 3 percent of Ebola infected patients are to be linked as the main cause of the spreading of the disease. This percentage is composed of both young and old carriers that are now being treated as "super-spreaders."

Defining and understanding the role of this certain sample in the spreading of the virus may help in containing Ebola in the event of possible future outbreaks. From 2014 to 2015, more than 28,600 people were infected with Ebola in West Africa. A total of 11,300 of these infected patients died.

The study reveals that children under 15-years-old and adults over 45 are those people who are likely spreading the virus. These phenomena are being linked to human's behavior. People that are caring for the young and the old are most likely to acquire the disease from this specific demographic.

Super-spreaders are also being linked to other outbreaks like SARS and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS. Discovering this important detail can help in preventing such outbreaks in the future.

Other infectious diseases that are being associated with super-spreaders for causing outbreaks include the famous Typhoid Mary. This disease had infected 51 people, three of whom died during the 1900's, Washington Post reports.

Researchers at the Princeton University and the Oregon State University also conducted an analysis to find similarity in the blood spatter pattern and identifying where the shooter or the spreader is located.

These pieces of evidence will help in preventing disease transmission and how to control this small number of individuals responsible for the spreading of disease and viruses. As for the Ebola virus, the disease was mainly distributed through bodily fluids assimilated during caregiving for the infected and during funeral preparations.